We Are The Accumulation of Our Habits

Ty Bennett, CSP, and I on a morning jog in Philly 2013 at NSA Convention

Reflecting on a calendar year is a profound place to check ourselves in the department of “what are you made of?”

In viewing the accomplishments of the year, celebrating those, and then seeing the even greater amount of failed attempts, challenges, and missed goals, everything appears relative.

You may see me as a success, while I may not see myself that way at all, and vice versa.

You may be confused by my direction and path because its not the one you thought it should be for me, that I should be more successful, and yet how would you know what the endgame intention is for me? How can I for you?

In looking back on the year it is clear to me that we are a cumulation of our habits.

I’m not talking about your place, or position, or prosperity, as most of it can be attributed to a higher power and to even some luck here and there.

But think of your daily routine. What do you do every morning?

Want to know mine? I wake up every single morning at 6:28 AM to go the restroom. Without fail, this happens every day, no matter what bewitching hour I went to bed.

And then I crawl back into bed for the inevitable dropping of the hammer that is 7 AM. And I have such a hard time waking up. And then it takes me the rest of the day, usually until about 4 PM, to actually be awake and feel ok.

However, once in a while I will just stay up at 6:28 AM. And then my day is transformed! I get more done, I have conquered my daily habit of trying to get an extra 30 minutes of sleep, and I feel better about myself.

In turn it can be frustrating reading the countless articles on habits of the uber-successful, wealthiest men and women on the planet. If you want to you can see a few HERE and HERE. They are equally inspiring and depressing.

I have noticed they ALL pretty much say they get up at 4 AM. I am still not sure how this is even possible, as getting up at 7 AM for the past 6 years since our kids started school is enough to make me feel the sleep deprivation catching up from years of neglect (I’m by nature a night owl, unable to fall asleep before 1 AM due to creative differences with my pillow).

So if I want to be a billionaire then 4 AM it is.

I just can’t do it! And I figure that 5 AM must equal millionaire, and 6 AM equals thousandaire, then my 7 AM means I’m barely making a living comparatively!

My friend, pictured above, Ty Bennett, has a habit of waking up super early, and the man accomplishes incredible amounts of things per year, including delivering 100 keynotes annually, as well as cranking out a book every year or so. Check him out if you don’t know him yet, and follow him on Facebook, very inspiring dude.

I can be frustrated by the accomplishments of others or I can be happy for them and continue working on mine. I have often compared myself to too many around me, and there is nothing but heartache when we do that.

And I have found some other habits that make up for my lack of waking before the sun even considers showing it’s face for a new day, which that means I have somehow accumulated enough other good habits to be successful.

Here are a few:

Do something physical daily that pushes you – workout, yoga, walk or run, help someone move their belongings, play with your kids

Bathe in music that uplifts your soul – whether that’s Billy Joel, a musical, or classical, have it playing at some point daily

Get into the habit of creating something – my friend Jason Kotecki calls it “tinkering”, I love that, as it means I may or may not get it done, but it’s just more for my own peace of mind

Of course there are many more habits I’d like to break, here are just a few:

Biting fingernails

Over-reacting

Losing my concentration and time by surfing the web or social media

Not finishing major projects

When it comes to you, what are the habits that make you who you’ve become? What we eat is manifested in our bodies, what we think is the catalyst for our actions, what we discover spiritually is due to those daily habits that make up a life of devotion and commitment.

Consider your habits today, and in righting the ship on the ones you find disagree with your definition of success, life will become the accumulation of both the good and the bad habits that stick around, and there is peace in knowing who you are, what you’ve done, and become, is enough.

~ jason

Jason Hewlett, CSP (Certified Speaking Professional), CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame, is a Keynote Speaker for the largest corporate events in the world. His primary message, The Promise, is essential for Leadership, Management, Sales, Marketing, Direct-Sales Companies, and is a combination of engagement and entertainment meets inspiration. Jason has even received standing ovations from IT guys. He has been acknowledged as life-changing by Conference Attendees, C-Level Executives and Hollywood Elite. jasonhewlett.com

Pleaseclick here to learn about how Jason Hewlett, Speaker Hall of Fame, introduces the opportunity for you, or someone you love, to have the gift of learning how to create a Career From the Stage and begin moving toward fulfilling a lifelong dream as a full-time speaker, performer, or entertainer.